The present invention relates to an ethylene disposal apparatus capable of disposing of ethylene generated in a facility for storing an agricultural product, and a method of disposing of ethylene.
In general, agricultural products are harvested locally, sold to a central market through intermediary collectors, and then supplied to consumers through wholesalers and retailers. In this distribution process, a large amount of agricultural products are stored in a low-temperature warehouse for a short time or a long time.
Meanwhile, fruits and vegetables among agricultural products stored in the warehouse are not able to be stored for a long period because they will rot by decomposition or rapidly shrivel due to ethylene gas (C2H2) naturally generated in the atmosphere. Therefore, since are difficult to store fruits and vegetables for a long period, and thus it is difficult to adjust the timing of delivery, it is difficult to set the supply amount according to demand, resulting in financial loss to farmers due to a decrease in product value caused by decomposition.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, an ethylene gas neutralizing agent has been developed and used, and accordingly, an apparatus for dispersing the ethylene gas neutralizing agent in a storehouse is required. The related art includes an air conditioner for an agricultural product storehouse as disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0745142 (hereinafter, referred to as the related art).
The above-described related art is effective in suppressing the decomposition of agricultural products by dispersing a neutralizing agent which can suppress ethylene gas which promotes the decomposition of agricultural products in a storehouse, and has an advantage in which the prices of agricultural products can be stabilized by increasing a storage period compared to the conventional period and thus controlling the timing of delivery and sales of agricultural products.
However, additional neutralizing agents need to be continuously used to suppress ethylene gas; various bacteria, odors, airborne fungal spores and the like other than ethylene gas cannot be disposed of; and humidity can also not be adjusted. Therefore, it is difficult to store crops under optimum conditions which can maintain freshness.
In addition, a low-temperature plasma process may be used to decompose ethylene. The above-described low-temperature plasma process is effective in decomposing ethylene, but power is continuously consumed due to continuous operation, and harmful byproducts such as aldehydes, organic acids and the like are generated upon the plasma decomposition of ethylene to deteriorate the air quality of a facility for storing an agricultural product.